HOSTING YOUR video files on Amazons S3 web service is the very best way to stream videos from your web page. The reasons are simple and powerful. Amazon reliability, security and performance capability simply can’t be matched by your web host account. [see my video below for an example.]

Top internet marketers and content pros are frequently using Amazon’s S3 service to stream their media files. Not only is this the best performance available, but believe it or not it’s about the lowest cost as well. You can run videos hundred of times for just pennies!

The reason that S3 hasn’t completely taken over the hosting world is that is (1.) not free and (2.) it’s more complicated. The money is not the biggest obstacle, the complexity is. Thankfully some software developers have made it extremely simple to utilize S3 and I’ve got the info here to help you decide on the best program for you.

The video world is full of complex technical talk and options but the best course of action for most of us is very simple. Of all the many video formats Flash video is the one that 99% of web surfers can view. This format is also the smallest file size so it’s fast and easy. Any video file you have can be easily converted to flash video, (and I won’t get much further into that here). Conversion can be done in one easy step in free software or as part of a bigger software program, one of which I review here.

Once a file is converted it must be uploaded to S3 and held to be served as a part of your html web page. The embed code and player must be added to the file package to make the magic happen. This is where the software programs do the real work. These make getting your html embed code a piece of cake. Once you have the code it’s very simple to post into a web page or blog post.

Making a video play in a flash player is one thing, but why stop here. The embed code can also modify the size, shape, colors, and features of the player. The video can be made to auto-play and to redirect the viewer to another page once finished. All these features can make these software packages a real bargain for internet marketers.

I compare the 3 programs here based on their effectiveness, features, and ease of use. My judgment is a bit subjective and not intended to be the end-all on the subject. I intend to make the points that I feel are important to consider, and leave the rest to you.

Note: The video above is hosted on my Amazon S3 account and is embedded using the S3MediaPlayer.